48 INDONESIAN ILLEGAL WORKERS DETAINED WHILE LEAVING IN FERRY

PORT KLANG (Malaysia), Feb 2 (Bernama) -- Forty-eight Indonesian illegal
immigrants were arrested while trying to leave the country with a ferry from
Bagan Hailam near Pulau Ketam here Tuesday.

They were nabbed along with nine crew members, including the captain, of the
ferry, which was heading for Tanjung Balai Asahan, Indonesia at 9.30am, said
Port Klang Marine Police commanding officer DSP Norzaid Muhammad Said.

He said the illegal immigrants hid in a specially built compartment under
the engine room of the ferry when they were caught.

They worked in factories and restaurants in Johor, Ipoh and Tanjung
Malim between one and three years, he told reporters at the Klang Marine Police
base here Tuesday.

He said the illegal immigrants, who were made up of 28 men and 20 women aged
between 21 and 42, paid about RM1,000 each to a syndicate for the journey home.

The immigrants and the captain of the ferry will be handed over to the
Immigration Department while the ferry was detained pending investigations, he
added.

Pulau Ketam, literally translated, means "Crab Island". It is a small island
located off the coast of Port Klang, Selangor, Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA



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